


of castles and servants

by perhapssoon



Series: what universe is this in again? [2]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Au where magic is bad, Drinking, Kinda modern-like but also medieval, Lots of fluff?, M/M, More tags to be added, Other, aaron burr randomly shows up, alexander is a servant, as well as john, calm!charles, have a nice crappy fanfic, herc is a tailor’s apprentice (duh), lafayette is a guard, magikers are discriminated against, nice!george, not that terrible social classes, overlyaggressive!john, reynolds is just bored but nasty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-03-22 01:15:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13753170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/perhapssoon/pseuds/perhapssoon
Summary: Secrets are discovered, magic is banned, flimsy excuses are made, and Alexander is just exhausted of it all.OrThe Magic/Modern-Medieval AU Where Everyone is Bat-Shit Crazy





	1. of assignments and new friends

**Author's Note:**

> So this is yet another one of my AU’s where I’ll try to finish, but no promises. It will get better as it goes, I swear. Trigger warnings will be in the notes.

The castle of Frederick was as large as Alexander expected. His brother (and mother, when she’d been alive) had told him stories about the king, and the people who lived inside the gates. He had never, not once, expected his early career to be as a servant within the mysterious wall of the castle.

But now, standing in front of the doors that seemed to reach into the clouds, Alexander felt nervous.

Approaching the guard that looked the friendliest out of the four in front of the double doors leading into the castle, he asked, “Excuse me, sir, but can you tell me what the standard procedure is for new servants?”

The guard looked down at Alexander, and the teenager then realized two things. One, the guard was rather tall compared to Alexander himself, and two, he actually seemed to be around Alexander’s age, if not, younger. “Of course I can,” the guard said, in what Alexander noticed was a thick French accent. “You are lost, _oui_?”

“Yeah,” Alexander felt a pang of annoyance for having to explain the whole situation again, but the guard cut him off.

“My name is Gilbert du Motier Marquis de Lafayette. You’re Alexander Hamilton, I believe?”

“Yes,” Alexander started to say before being interrupted yet again.

“We’ve been expecting you!” Gilbert du something said excitedly. “Come this way, I’ll show you what to do.”

“Is there a, uh, shortened version of your name?” Alexander panted as he struggled to keep up with Gilbert du something’s long strides.

“ _Oui_ , I forgot to tell you,” the guard replied apologetically. “You may call me Lafayette. Is much easier, _non_?”

“Yeah,” Alexander replied, thoroughly relieved. “That’s way easier.”

“Good.” Lafayette strode down a long hallway, turned left, and then left again. “These are the guest bedrooms. You are not allowed to see the king yet, as his orders for you are to clean the bedrooms for his examination. This will determine if you are allowed to stay or not. The cleaning supplies are in the closet at the end of the hall. _Comprenez vous_?”

Alexander nodded mutely. Lafayette smiled at him. “Good luck.”

He turned on his heel and left Alexander staring at the closed door of he first guest bedroom.

“Hi there! Are you new?”

Those five words made Alexander perk up and he turned to find the source of the voice.

Standing before him was a freckled, curly-haired boy about his age, dressed in clothing that indicated his status as a servant. “I’m John Laurens,” the boy continued. “What’s yours?”

“Alexander Hamilton,” Alexander replied and stuck out his hand formerly. “Nice to meet you.”

John pumped his arm enthusiastically. “I like you already. How about I introduce you to my friends during break?”

_Friends_? Alexander hadn’t seen many other boys his age around the place, but he already was warming up to John, so it would only be polite to meet his friends as well.

“Sure,” he answered. “After my shift though.”

“After your shift,” John agreed.

Alexander set himself to clean the guest bedrooms. As he was determined to prove his worth to King George, he scoured the floors twice for any clumps of mud, changed the chamber pots at least three times each, and dusted each piece of furniture until they were completely clean.

After he was finished, he went to find John. The other servant was sitting on the floor of the kitchen, mindlessly scrubbing the bottom of the tables.

“John,” Alexander greeted.

John looked up and his face brightened. “Your shift is over already?”

Alexander shrugged. “I guess. I finished my work, so-“

John stood quickly, his head narrowly missing the table edge. “No, no, no. You’ve gotta go tell the king when you’re finished. It’s the rule for new servants.”

Alexander inwardly groaned. Was there _anything_ that wasn’t specified _just_ for new servants?

John led him to the large double doors of the throne room. “This is as far as I can take you,” John whispered. “Good luck.”

Alexander took a deep breath to calm his nerves and pushed open the door.

King George Frederick III was not sitting in his throne, as Alexander had expected, but he was talking to someone on the far side of the room. Alexander looked closer and saw a golden cross dangling around the new person’s neck. _The bishop_.

The door, as it was not being held open by anyone, fell past Alexander and slammed shut with a bang. The bishop looked startled and backed out of the room, while the king slowly turned to see the source of the noise.

“Ahh, Alexander. Have you finished with your chores?” King George asked primly.

Alexander nodded, feeling a large amount of frustration bubbling inside of him for being treated like a child. “Yes, Your Majesty,” he replied, remembering his brother’s advice to look at the ground when speaking to the king.

“Good.” The king clicked his fingers and the doors swung open again, revealing a lone guard.

“Reynolds,” King George said, “Would you be so kind as to examine Alexander’s work?”

Reynolds grunted and beckoned for Alexander to follow him. He checked in every bedroom Alexander had cleaned in, muttering to himself as he tested the edge of the chairs and tables for dust, crouched to check under the beds, and examined everything so closely, Alexander was afraid of his verdict when they finally made their way back to the throne room.

They passed John along the way, who was dusting one of the statue busts sitting in the main hall. The freckled teen gave Alexander a hesitant thumbs up, which the latter returned, before going back to his work.

“Everything is clean, Your Majesty.” Reynolds intoned when they reached the throne room.

King George merely looked bored. “I suspected as much. Alexander, you’re free to go. I’ll need you in two hours, tops.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Reynolds seemed only reluctant to let Alexander traipse back into the main hallway. But Alexander didn’t care. His mind was focused on seeing John.

The other teen had moved on to farther down the hall, now dusting his fifth statue bust. He looked up when Alexander approached.

“You good?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

“Great!” John flung his arms wide, nearly smacking Alexander in the face with his dusting cloth. “Just let me finish this last bust and I can show you to my friends!”

‘Finishing’ apparently meant John studying the bust for two seconds and then declaring himself done.

Alexander honestly didn’t care either way, and he found his heart rate spiking slightly as John led him through the castle.

He stopped in front of a small wooden door in the very back of the castle. “This is-“

“-the tailor’s place. I know,” Alexander finished.

John looked at him in surprise but nodded. “Yeah. They’re waiting inside.”

“The tailor?”

Alexander didn’t need to wonder for long, as John pushed the door open. It swung wildly into the room, and John jumped after it yelling, “I’m back!”

Alexander followed his new friend inside and found Lafayette and another teenager (although the latter looked a lot older than the rest of them) sitting at a small table. Scraps of cloth were scattered around the room, with a mannequin and mirror sitting in the corner — all in all a nice room, but Alexander’s attention was focused on the two people in the middle of it.

“Hey, Lafayette!” he greeted.

John looked confused. “Wait, you know Laf already?”

Lafayette stood, his tall, thin frame barely withstanding against the low ceiling. “ _Oui_ , John. Alexander was assigned to me when he first arrived.”

“Well then,” John brushed his hands together in a business manner. “This here is Hercules Mulligan. He’s the tailor’s apprentice. Herc, this is Alexander Hamilton. We’re called the Revolutionary Set because of our closeness and rebellious nature, but I guess now that you’re here too, Alexander, you can be part of our little group.”

Hercules rose from his seat, shaking hands with Alexander, who noted his strong but controlled grip. “Nice to meet you, Alexander. I hope this place is good for you?”

Alexander nodded. “King George though is a bit...”

“Condescending?” Hercules supplied with a laugh. “He tends to get that way, but he usually means no harm unless you get on his bad side.”

“I see.” Alexander thought for a moment before remembering something else. “And the bishop?”

“Practically his advisor,” John explained. “His son is a bit, uh, I don’t know how to explain it but if you meet him in person, you’ll see what I mean.”

“How long do you have before your next shift?” Lafayette asked. “The king usually doesn’t let you linger long.”

“Two hours.” Alexander replied. “Is that a lot of time?”

Lafayette shrugged. “He goes easy on you the first few days but, John, tell Alex what happened when things started picking up for you.”

John grinned, sitting down in the nearest chair with a thump, the other following suit. “Oh, it was really bad. I tripped at least five times going between all the rooms and transferring the laundry between them. I dropped at least a few piles and had to go back for them to be rewashed. I was exhausted by the time my shift was over. But once the king warms up to you, he’ll be a bit more lenient.”

Alexander processed that information for a while before yet another thought struck him. “Is Reynolds an okay person?”

Hercules spoke up then. “He is not that good of a person once you know him better, but his wife is really nice. I think he manhandles her though. Not really a great dude.”

“Wow.” For once, Alexander was at a loss for words. His father had left his mother as a result of debt but Alexander had never heard of a husband treating his wife that badly. “So, what do you guys do for fun in this place?”

“We go drinking at night, when we’re not needed,” John said. “And we usually just talk here because the tailor is usually out most of the time.”

“There are a few activities that happen in the village every now and then,” Lafayette added, “but servants aren’t allowed to go.”

Seeing the disappointed look on Alexander’s face, John hastened to intervene. “But most of the people around here are pretty fun, so we have that too.”

“Anyone to look out for?” Alexander asked, noticing John’s brief expression of sourness.

“Yeah. Charles Lee and Aaron Burr.”

“Burr’s okay,” Hercules cautioned, “and you don’t like Lee because of what happened last year, but both of them might be a bit nicer to you, Alexander, because you’re new.”

“But then they’ll stop all of a sudden and be nasty as hell,” John spat.

“What makes them so bad?” Alexander asked, wanting to know more.

“Makes who so bad?” A voice rang out. The Revolutionary Set turned as one towards the doorway — where someone had obviously forgotten to close the door — a person dressed in much nicer clothing than Alexander leaned against the door frame.

He didn’t need to look twice to know that this guy was Aaron Burr.


	2. of magic and discrimination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexander meets some Magiker by the name of Angelica Schuyler, as well as her sisters. Things are learned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter’s a bit shorter.

“Burr.” Hercules stood, somehow managing to hold John back and sound somewhat polite at the same time. “You here to see Alexander?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard he’s got potential,” Burr replied. “We all heard of his superior cleaning job.”

Lafayette grinned tightly. “I suggest you leave, Burr.”

“Yeah!” John was still struggling to break free of Hercules’ hold. “Magic yourself away, won’t you?”

“Magic?” Alexander repeated. “What magic?”

“My parents were wizards,” Burr explained. “I’m learning some of their stuff because I inherited their magic blood.”

“They were wizards?”

“They’re dead.” 

The silence that followed was awkward, to say the least. Even John stopped fighting against Hercules’ grip. 

Burr cleared his throat. “If you guys are done, I’ll be off.”

“You’re an actual wizard?” Alexander had only heard of them, he’d never seen any actual magic-doers in person. 

Burr allowed himself a half-smile. “Yeah.”

“Do you have a workshop or somewhere you do your magic stuff?”

Burr nodded. “Do you want to see it? I can show you. It won’t be as crowded to today.”

Alexander looked towards his new friends. John looked murderous, while Hercules and Lafayette looked encouraging. _Majority rules._

“Sure, I’d love to!”

After a quick goodbye to the Rev Set, Burr led him through the back end of the castle to a large garden. Alexander was struck by the beauty of the place. “Are there any gardeners here?”

“Some,” Burr admitted. “But us wizards also keep the place clean.”

“How many are there?” 

“A few, actually,” Burr looked like he was about to spew extensive knowledge about the history of wizards, but refrained from the many details. “There are those like me, which are Magikers — which is what we call wizards now — who are forced to stay in hiding. I’m sure you’ve heard of whole search for Magikers and those people who want to kill them all. The whole Fear Fire incident?”

“Yeah, I’ve heard of that,” Alexander shuddered. “I want to help all wizards in hiding. No matter the cost. Everyone deserves freedom from discrimination.”

Burr scoffed. “I agree, but I don’t think we should be that public about that yet. The Magiker Death Organization captured and killed my parents in the first place about a few years ago.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Alexander said sympathetically. “My father left us when I was really young, so I don’t remember him that much. My mother died in that sickness wave last month.”

“Do you have any siblings?” Burr asked. 

Alexander nodded. “One. My brother, James. He wasn’t that great of a brother but I liked him enough.”

“Well, the lesson here is to not let the past to get to us, because we’re always changing. I think I clung too much to my parents’ legacy to truly admire my life.”

“Huh.” Alexander scanned the garden, clearly uninterested in Burr’s advice. He had to admit, he was pretty impressed with the keeping of this area, but he was impatient to see Burr’s workplace. 

Burr seemed to recognize the lack of patience from the young servant, so he quickened his pace. They stopped in front of a small stone house. “This is where I work, usually. All of the Magikers in the castle use this space for spells and whatnot.”

“King George allows you guys to live here?” Alexander asked. 

Burr nodded, as he unlocked the door by placing his palm in the center. “There are three of us here that he knows of. I’m sure there are some other people in this castle, however, that possess magic capabilities.”

“What about Charles Lee?” Alexander found the words slipping out before he could stop himself. 

Burr froze. “What do you mean?”

“Is he a wizard?”

Burr shook his head. “I’m sorry for asking, but where did you hear his name?”

“John told me to watch out for him and you,” Alexander replied. “Is it out of prejudice or...?”

“Not out of prejudice,” Burr said quickly. “There was a disagreement between us many years ago. And Charles isn’t a Magiker, actually, he is, a little. You’ll see when you meet him.”

Thoroughly confused, Alexander just nodded and followed Burr into the Magikers’ workplace. 

It was rather neat and orderly, but scorch marks on the floor and walls indicated what really went on inside these walls. There was a lone table in the middle of the room, covered in bottles of strange colored liquids and stacks of papers. 

“This is amazing!” Alexander exclaimed, eyes roving over every detail in excitement. 

“Really?” Burr sounded a bit skeptical but didn’t argue.

The door on the other end of the room opened and a young woman stepped out. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Alexander and looked to Burr for an explanation. 

“This is Alexander Hamilton, he’s new,” Burr introduced, “Alexander, this is Angelica Schuyler, one of the Magikers I was telling you about.”

Angelica appraised Alexander for a moment before curtsying to him. “Pleasure to meet you.”

Alexander bowed back, taking her hand and kissing it. “Likewise.”

“Aren’t you a charmer!” Angelica laughed. “Eliza, Peggy, you gotta meet this guy!”

Two other women pushed their way into the room. Or rather, one of them gloses and the other one pushed her way in. 

“I’m Eliza,” the first one said. “And I’m Peggy!” added the other one. 

“Are they your sisters?” Alexander asked, after the introductions were over. 

Angelica nodded. “I’m the oldest, then Eliza, and Peggy is the youngest.”

“And they all are Magikers?”

Angelica shook her head. “Only me. The third Magiker is James Madison, who is visiting his friend today.”

Alexander nodded. “Does King George treat you well? I heard he really likes Magikers because of their powers but—“ Alexander was distracted by Burr’s expression, which was none too encouraging. “Oh sorry, am I talking too much?”

The Schuyler Sisters shook their head as one. 

“Just answer the question I guess,” Alexander said hurriedly. 

“The kings treats us as well as he can, in this discriminatory place,” Angelica said, with a curious glance at Alexander. “We’ve had at least five public meetings with the MDO because they want to ‘take us in for questioning’ but because we are under protection of the king, we have the right to refuse.”

“But what about those that the king doesn’t know about?” Alexander asked. “Do they have protection too?”

Angelica shook her head. “Not legally. King George is having a hard time convincing the MDO otherwise but we can’t get rid of them unless we want a full on war with our neighboring kingdoms.”

Alexander sighed. “Now I really wanna punch the MDO. Full in the face is a requirement.”

“Not advised,” Eliza said, chuckling. “Unless you wanna have all your records changed to match those of a Magiker and be tracked down and killed. There’s no trial for you.”

The clock tower bonged and Angelica snapped her fingers to get everyone’s attention, sending out a shower of sparks. “How long’s your break, again, Alexander?”

Alexander jumped. “Oh shit, I forgot. Thanks for reminding me!” 

He raced out of the workhouse, and disappeared among the foliage of the garden. 

Angelica turned to Burr, smirking. “You do know how to pick ‘em, Burr.”

Burr rolled his eyes. “Give it a rest, will you?”

Angelica just grinned, her eyes glowing slightly. “Make me.”

Burr’s hands tensed a bit, ice frosting over his fingertips, but the two were distracted from their showdown by a shrill cheer. 

“Hey, cut out your Magiker crap and look!” Peggy cried pointing out the window. “Constable Washington’s back!”


	3. of war and secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Constable Washington has some troubling news; the Magikers confer.

Constable George Washington was not one for dramatic entrances, but no matter how subtly he tried to slip into the castle, someone always saw him. In this case, it was Peggy Schuyler. 

“Sir!” she cried, running up to him. “Welcome back!”

Much to Washington’s consternation, the guards around them heard and clamored for attention. 

“Thank you for the warm welcome,” Washington said apologetically, “But I need to see the king at once. Urgent news.”

Miraculously, Lafayette appeared at his side, and waved away the others. “Give the Constable some room, mon ami.”

Washington shot a grateful smile at the young guard before entering the castle. 

The hallways were just as he remembered them: designed to feel like one had to walk forever to arrive at their destination without any trouble. The designs flourished along the walls only made the illusion stronger. 

The throne room was the same, although King George obviously had some redecorating done. The statues lining the edges of the room were gone, and new stained glass windows, much like the ones in the chapel, scattered brightly colored light across the floor. 

“Constable. You have returned early.” The king’s voice boomed across the throne room. 

Washington knelt. “Apologies, Your Majesty, but I was just informed of some news that should reach your ears first and foremost.”

King George sighed. “Yes?”

“There is a war brewing. Both Livinae and Rewile are upset at the treatment you have been giving the MDO lately.”

The king brushed off the intended warning. “So it is a crime now to house Magikers?”

“I’m afraid so, Your Majesty,” Washington replies, rising slowly, eyes fixed on the stone floor. “And both rulers of those kingdoms have asked me to tell you that if this treatment continues, they will be forced to go into war against you.”

“As a result of the MDO?” King George sounded incredulous. “Constable Washington, what is your true opinion on this matter?”

Washington lifted his head to look the king in the eyes. “I believe they are wrong, Your Majesty. The MDO should not have this much power, and that is something for all three kingdoms to decide together, not just two.”

The king studied him closely. “Are you saying this just to please me, Constable?”

“No, Your Majesty,” Washington replied honestly. “I will defend your decision with my life, and if that means war, then I will fight in it.”

King George nodded thoughtfully and leaned back. “We will confer later today. For now, you will need to inform your soldiers of this, and keep the panic to a bare minimum. Oh, and do not respond to Livinae or Rewile. They will declare war when needed.”

“Of course, Your Majesty.” Washington bowed again and backed out of the room. 

Lafayette was waiting for him just outside of the doors. He looked at the Constable curiously, and the older man clenched his left fist, moving his thumb between his middle and ring finger, and placed it over his heart. The gesture meant _war is coming_. 

Lafayette’s eyes widened in understanding, and turned to pass the message to the guard next to him. This way, no one other than the soldiers would know what was coming until the king decided to make the information public. 

He saw someone approach him in the corner of his eye, and turned to greet them. 

Charles Lee stood before his superior officer, posture relaxed, although there was a tense aura around him. “Sir, I’m sorry to disturb you, but there is a dispute happening not far from here.

Washington nodded. “I will send a squadron to investigate. Thank you for informing me.”

Lee nodded and vanished. Washington was left staring at the spot where the soldier had been. He was never going to get used to this.

—

Aaron was sitting listlessly in the Magiker workshop. He had been there since Peggy had run outside to greet the Constable. To be honest, he wanted to see Washington as well, but his relationship with the Constable was strained at best; Charles seemed to be the only good connection between the two. 

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Angelica swept past Aaron to open it. 

“Oh, hello Charles. Come in.”

Charles strode through the door, eyes blank. “War is coming,” was the first thing he said. 

Aaron started. “What do you mean?”

Charles looked at him, his expression serious. “Livinae and Rewile are leaning towards declaring war on us.”

Angelica sighed. “Those assholes. It’s the MDO, right?”

Charles nodded. “I think that they are somehow using the Magikers they capture to influence the Livinathians and since Livinae is already the dominant kingdom in this treaty, they most likely convinced the Rewilese as well.”

“I think so too,” Angelica agreed. “Because they’ve only captured the powerful ones so far, they should be able to mess with their minds.”

“But are they doing it willingly or under threat?” Aaron wondered aloud. 

Angelica’s eyes flashed with anger; the workspace suddenly burned with heat. “They better not be doing it either way.”

Charles held his hands up placatingly. “Whatever it is, we will try to help them overcome this, yes?”

Angelica deflated slightly, the air around them cooling down. “Yeah.”

There was another knock at the door and James Madison stepped inside. 

“Is Thomas okay?” Angelica asked him, concern written across her face. 

James nodded, his face drawn into a neutral expression. “He’s good. Just a bit shaken.”

“What happened?” Charles asked. 

“Wouldn’t you know just by looking?” James retorted.

“Hey!” Angelica shook her head at them. “No fighting. Charles, Thomas was thought to be a Magiker for some strange reason, and he had to prove he wasn’t in order for them to not take him in.”

Charles’ eyes widened. Everyone knew about the tests you had to go through if they suspected you of being a hidden Magiker. Registered ones were taken in with no trial, but it was unusual for the MDO to pick random people for the tests. 

“So you defended him? Or were you there for support?”

“Support,” James answered. “They wouldn’t have believed me if I defended him. Magiker stigma and all that.”

“No shit,” Angelica scoffed. “We’re having enough trouble as it is being Magikers, the last thing we need is the MDO tailing random people. It’ll worsen our reputation.”

“Believe me,” James groaned, leaning back in his seat, “our positive reputation is pretty much non-existent.”

“Alexander said he was going to try to get rid of the uncertainty around Magikers,” Aaron remembered. 

Angelica stood. “He did?”

“Who’s Alexander?” Charles said at the same time. 

“The new servant guy,” Aaron replied. “And yes, he did say that.”

“I heard of him from Lafayette,” James said. “The person who actually knows how to clean. That’s new.”

“Is he friends with Laurens and his ‘Rev Set’ now?” Charles inquired, an unreadable expression on his face. 

Aaron just nodded. 

Charles let out a heavy sigh. “That’s great.” he muttered sarcastically. 

“Laurens is just one to hold grudges,” Angelica reassured him. “Lafayette and Hercules forgave you. Alexander will probably not judge you too harshly. I mean, he was willing to go with Burr—“

“That was because he knew I was a Magiker,” Aaron interrupted, “and he needs to get some background in order to defend our people.”

Angelica shrugged. “He seemed pretty trusting.”

“No argument there. But how much are we willing to trust him?”

“Hopefully not too much until he knows exactly what I am,” Charles put in. 

A murmur of agreement spread through the room. Only Magikers knew what Charles was. And it was of a worse-tainted reputation that even Alexander may not accept. 

“How about a drink?” Angelica asked, filling four glasses and tossing two of them to land perfectly on the table. She flicked her finger and forced Aaron to sit besides James. 

“That better not be the potion you were trying to make us all drink,” Aaron accused even as he took a glass and swig of the liquid inside. 

Angelica just smirked, drinking from her own mug, and walked over to Charles, offering him the fourth one. 

“Thanks.” Charles reached to take it and his hand fizzed slightly as he took hold of the handle. Angelica looked at his arm in concern.

“Did you have _that-guy_  do your ritual thing?” 

Charles blinked in surprise before looking down at his hand. “Oh, yeah. It’s happening tomorrow.”

Angelica’s eyes narrowed. “Really?”

Charles nodded hastily and, switching the mug to his other hand, shoved the offending appendage behind his back childishly. 

James snorted with laughter. “You done being his mom, Angelica?”

The eldest Schuyler sister glared at him. “Do me a favor and shut up.”

James raised his free hand in surrender and took another gulp from his mug. “Whatever you say, mom.”

Aaron choked on his drink while laughing, which only made Angelica more annoyed. “You guys need to stop,” she groaned. “Before I kick both of your asses.”

“I would rather that not happen, even though that’d be hilarious,” Charles said. 

“And you,” Angelica stuck her face into his. “need to be quiet and find John Laurens for me. I don’t care how you do it, you just need to get him back here. Now.”

Charles stared at her, speechless for a moment, before vanishing.


	4. of chapels and tunnels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John gives Alexander a tour. It gets interrupted rather quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda made this blunt.

When Alexander reentered the throne room, the king was waiting for him. John was beside him, looking slightly anxious.

"Ahh, Alexander, come in! You've met John, I presume?" 

Alexander nodded, exchanging a quick grin with John, who looked a bit excited now that he had some prelude to what he was needed for.

"John will show you around," King George continued. "Unless you already know where everything is?"

Alexander did, in fact, know where everything was in the castle, but he wanted to spend some time joking around with John, so he shook his head. "No, Your Majesty, I don't."

The king seemed to know he was lying by the way his eyebrows rose in surprise, but said nothing of it. "Excellent. John, how about you start in east wing, and move west? I also think he should see the chapel, if you are willing to show him."

John nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty."

“Good." The king waved them out with a rather dismissive gesture. "Be on your way."

John practically skipped out of the throne room, looking rather excited. "Man, I know you know this place already like the back of your hand, but there are secrets here you should know."

"Like secret passageways?" Alexander asked, his mind already spinning with the possibilities.

John winked at him. "Exactly."

He led Alexander through the dining hall, and to a large tapestry that covered half of the wall. He knelt and knocked on one of the stones, which responded by swinging downward into the darkness below. Alexander gaped at the hole. "We're supposed to go in there?"

"Not yet," John grunted, struggling to rip off the adjacent pieces of the floor. 

When the hole was wide enough, John dusted his hands off and declared, "Now we jump."

And he did.

Alexander could hear him whooping all the way down before he yelled, "Come on down!"

The servant took a deep breath before following his friend into the abyss. It got considerably colder the further he fell, and Alexander was just wondering when he was going to stop, when his legs hit something hard. They crumpled under the impact, and Alexander found himself face-down on a pile of freezing cold blankets. He struggled to sit up, and after making sure he wasn't hurt too badly, looked around for John.

The place was lit with a dim light, which came from many cracks in the ceiling, and Alexander had no trouble finding his friend, who was standing at the end of the long corridor. 

"Are you okay?" John asked. "That looked like it hurt."

“Yeah." Alexander stomped his left foot experimentally, and finding he could still walk, grinned at John. "I'm good."

"Great!" John led him down the narrow space and turned left, right, and left again, Alexander just managing to keep up, shivering.

John stopped in front of a large cross painted in blue at the end of the hallway. "It's this way," he muttered to himself, looking around. "I know it is."

"What is?" Alexander asked, but John wasn't listening to him. The freckled teen placed his palm against the cross, eyes narrowed, before a shaft of light and a rope ladder came down on top of him.

“Ow!" John stumbled away, clutching his head. "Damn you, Seabury!"

Alexander blinked. He wasn't expecting this. He was torn between helping John or seeing where the ladder led to, and as a result of his naturally curious mindset, he chose the latter.

The rope wasn't as secure as Alexander wished it to be, so he was forced to swing back and forth, bracing himself against the wall with every step. He managed to climb the entire way without hitting his head, and was amazed to find himself behind the pews in some kind of chapel. The place was empty, thankfully, so Alexander was able to admire the beauty of the place. Stained glass windows let in brightly colored light, shining multi-colored specks across the floors and walls. Feeling the rope ladder beneath him move slightly which signaled that John was climbing up, Alexander pulled himself through the opening and was met face to face with a boy about his age, dressed in navy blue robes and a white scarf draped around his neck. His eyes were narrowed in slight suspicion.

“Who're you?" he asked stiffly.

“Alexander Hamilton," the servant greeted. "What's your name?"

“Samuel Seabury," was the answer, and Alexander realized that Samuel must be the bishop's son.

John hauled himself into the chapel with a groan. "Seabury, I swear, if you drop that ladder on me again, I'll-"

“No death threats in His Presence, Laurens," Seabury chided, drawing himself to his full height. "And the ladder falls on its own, you know that."

John just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He turned to Alexander with a look that read, See what I was talking about?

“Is your dad around?" Alexander asked, giving John a shut up look in return.

Seabury seemed to wince at the mention of his father. "No, he isn't. Off with the king, I suppose."

The brief look of sadness that flashed across Seabury's face brought Alexander to attention. "Is your dad ever in here?"  
Seabury shook his head. "Besides morning service, he only comes in here to pray. I can run evening service by myself."

Alexander exchanged a look with John, the latter obviously never hearing this bit of information before. He wanted to ask more, but Seabury was done talking to them.

“Father will be in here to pray soon, so unless you want to subject to his questions, you should leave."

“Yeah, great idea." John dragged Alexander back to the hole, but Alexander yelled a final question.

"What do you think of Magikers?"

Seabury stiffened, and turned to face him. "Magikers are everything we are against. Against our religion, against out lifestyle, I don't need to go on do I?"

And Alexander finally allowed John to pull him into the darkness, frozen in shock. Seabury couldn't be against Magikers, or maybe the people who came to the sermons and services weren't, because as he was falling back down the hole, Alexander had caught a glimpse of the back of a pew. Etched into the wood was a bright red M, enclosed in a seven-pointed star. The symbol of a Magiker.

“You saw that, right?” Alexander asked when they were safely back in the freezing tunnel. 

John turned to look at him, and Alexander could see his slight concern written across his face. “Whoever drew that, then, is going to be in big trouble. Magic and religion don’t cross. Ever. Seabury and his dad may even get in trouble because it happened in their church, under their watch.”

“We can’t let that happen!” Alexander protested, seeing Seabury’s hesitant face in his mind’s eye.

John shrugged. “If we point it out to Seabury or his dad, someone’s going to get it. And I’d rather it not be me, but we can try to tell them next time we’re there. Which won’t be for a while.”

“Then I’ll go myself,” Alexander said determinedly. 

John gave him a fond smile. “Of course you would.”

They arrived at where they had come in from, light streaming down from the hole John had made in the floor. For the first time, Alexander noticed grooves carved into the rock above him. “We’re climbing up?”

John nodded, already taking hold of a crevice and pulling himself up. “Unless you have another way?”

“No, I was just asking. I can climb.”

It took then much longer to get to the surface, with a few slips and curses. But they managed to reach the dining hall without any major injuries.

“We gotta figure out a new way to climb up,” John panted. 

“Could we use a rope ladder?” Alexander asked, “like what Seabury had?”

John grunted. “There’s no one here to keep it rolled up. This side of the passage is relatively unguarded so if anyone figures out this is here—”

“Wait, no one else knows?”

John turned to look Alexander in the eye. “Only the servants and Magikers do. And the king, of course, but no one else.”

There was a whoosh of air and the sound of footsteps that made both servants look up. Charles Lee was standing over them, a slight look of disgust on his face. He ignored Alexander, and turned to look at John. “Angelica needs you,” was all he said before striding past them and disappearing into the hole.

Alexander watched him go. “Was that Charles Lee?”

John nodded, a look of hatred flashing across his face briefly. “Yeah. But we can go ahead and close the hatch because he has his own means for getting out.”

Alexander didn’t question it, and he helped John pull the stones back into place. “You gonna go to Angelica’s?”

John stood, staring in the direction of the Magiker workshop. “Yeah. You can come. If they don’t let you stay, then, I don’t know, go back to the tailor’s and stay there 'til I come back. Your tour isn’t over yet,” he added with a smirk before leaving the dining hall, Alexander half-running in order to keep up.

 


	5. of potions and lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John discovers stuff (idk, I'm tired)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I haven't updated in forever....

"Okay, lemme get this straight," John began.  "We're gonna be at war with Livinae and Rewile? And you're asking me if I wanna help you three?"

Angelica nodded, expression serious. 

"Why me?"

James took over the conversation."Because you're smart, John, even if you don't act like it sometimes--"

"Gee thanks."

"--and you have a capability to withstand magic."

"Wait, hold up," Alexander interrupted.  "John, you can resist magic?"

"Only a little," John said sheepishly.  "It's not that much..."  
"It's enough," Angelica broke in. "Maria will help you."

Alexander look confused. "Who's Maria?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," John turned to Alexander.  "Maria is Reynolds' wife.  She's pretty nice.  She bakes cookies."

"Oh. You're going to visit her?"

"Right now, yeah.  If you're okay with coming with me.  The tour will have to wait, I'm sorry."

Alexander grinned. "No, it's fine! I'll come!"

"Excellent." Angelica rose from her seat, skirt swishing slightly. "She wants you for maybe half an hour? I'm not entirely sure what she is planning, but you need to go now, while Reynolds is on duty."

"Gotcha." John pushed open the door leading outside of the Magiker workshop.  "C'mon, let's go!"

Alexander sighed and followed John out of the workshop and through the garden to the back gate. "Where exactly is Maria?"

"Through this gate. It's connected directly to a path leading to her cottage. It's quite convenient, really," John explained, pulling the gate open with a loud creak.

Before he knew it, Alexander found himself in front of a woman dressed in a vivid red, holding a pile of cookies in a small but cozy cottage. 

"I'm Maria Reynolds," she greeted.  "You must be Alexander Hamilton, correct?"

Alexander found his eyes traveling to Maria's rather lowcut neckline before realizing she just asked him a question.  "Uh, what?"

Maria just smiled and repeated the question; Alexander tried to ignore John's snickering.

"Yeah, I am." He paused before asking, "How did you know?"

Maria laughed. "Everyone's been talking about you.  It's not often that a new servant comes to the castle because the king is very picky.  So, if you've managed to stay more than three minutes, I think that's worth noticing."

"Oh, uh, thanks?"

"Anyway," John cut into the awkward silence that followed.  "Angelica said something about you teaching me stuff?"

The woman nodded.  "Yeah, magic resistance is something built over time, and as Aaron noticed you had potential when you first came to the castle, the upcoming war is excellent motivation to get started."

"Uh, how do I get started?" John looked too eager for his lessons to begin, most likely because whenever the war was 'upcoming' it usually meant 'in a few days because the king only aggravates the other rulers instead of establishing peace.'

Maria sent him a quick smile.  "Right now, if you'd like.  I think I have some leftover potions from Angelica.  Let me go get them and then we can get started."

John blinked.  "Okay."

When Maria was out of earshot, Alexander turned to John.  "You didn't tell me she was hot."

John stared at him. "Uh, no.  People around here don't exaggerate opinions."

"Here we go!" Maria reappeared in the doorway, holding a few mugs.  "John, take one and drink it."

"Uh, what will it do to me?" John asked, eyeing the potions warily.

Maria just placed one in front of the freckled teen.  "It doesn't matter.  It won't kill you, so drink up!"

John hesitated but took a sip.  When nothing happened, he downed the entire thing in one go.  When nothing else happened, Maria looked impressed.  "You're the only person I know who can do that.  Wanna try another?"

John nodded and took a second mug.  When he was done, he took another.  And another.  Alexander watched him with held-back anticipation, waiting for something to happen.

John choked, nearly spewing the liquid all over the stone floor.  Maria took a step back to avoid it splattering on her dress. "God, that was terrible!" John wiped his mouth.  "Was that last one bad or something?"  
Maria shook her head, looking amazed.  "That was the magic you tasted.  Angelica brews it to taste terrible for those without magic resistance and addictive to those who can withstand a little.  It's the least harmful way we could test that.  It also means you are five mugs immune to poison, as most of it is made through magic."

"Woah, does it mean anything else?" John wanted to know.

Maria shrugged.  "We haven't tested it so far because we don't want to kill anyone accidentally, but if you keep drinking this, you could possibly become immune to physical magic and totally immune to poisons."

"Possibly? Then what is the point of this?" John asked, confused.

"I'm not entirely sure," Maria admitted.  "But you are the first who didn't quit on sight so we actually have a chance, if of course, you're willing to walk in MDO headquarters and be a spy or something."

"Herc's the one who has the patience for being a spy, not me," John said with a sigh, leaning back. "I mean, I would do it if I actually felt comfortable but I don't really know at the moment."

Maria smiled.  "That's fine.  At least now we know how magic-tolerant you are; we can work on that in the future."

"Nice." John grinned and turned to Alexander.  "You hear that? I'm resistant to magic."

Alexander snorted.  "You still need to develop the skill though.  Is Herc going to infiltrate the MDO?"

"No," John replied absently studying his arm.  "He's got to make all those clothes for the ball coming up."

"Ball?"

"The Winter Ball, didn't you hear?"

"Uh, no." Alexander gave his friend a weird look.  "I only got to the castle a few hours ago. Common folk usually don't know everything that goes on in the castle."

"Oh, yeah, right." John looked slightly sheepish. "Well, there's a ball coming up so that's why Herc can't do anything with the MDO."  
"But he supports Magikers, right?" Alexander asked.

"Yeah," John replied.  "Definitely.  The Revolutionary Set is called that for a reason.  We just haven't had any ideas lately because we nearly got caught by the MDO last time."

"I can help with that," Alexander said eagerly.

"And you can meet here whenever my husband isn't home to work on your lessons, John," Maria added.  Alexander had almost forgotten she was there.  She shot him a quick smile and continued. "So your friends can work on the plans while you practice so you don't have to keep going back to the castle."

"Does your husband work the same hours we do?"

"Longer," Maria answered.  "He gets breaks but he spends them at the castle because he could be needed there.  For midday meals he sometimes comes here, but in the afternoon and late mornings, the place should be free of his presence."

"Wow, thanks Maria," John said, looking excited, even as he stood.  "We gotta go now.  Thanks for everything!"

Maria waved.  "Have fun doing whatever you're doing. You know where to find me."

And Alexander found himself being pulled outside by John yet again towards the castle to finish the tour.


	6. of resistance and drinks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woo John is more integral now than a tour guide whoops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will continue giving random updates lolol

John and Alexander finished the tour in record time, mostly because there wasn't anything Alexander hadn't seen yet, other than the tunnels. They spent at least four hours talking in the tailor room with Hercules because he needed to measure them for the Winter Ball clothes they would need.  


Alexander insisted on going to the chapel again an hour later.  John was reluctant, but agreed after Alexander asked if it was because he didn't want to run into Charles.  


"Why do you hate Charles so much anyway?" Alexander asked.   


John rolled his eyes. "He's a fucking coward.  Last year he was in charge of the guards stationed around the palace when a raid came through and basically avoided the fight while three of his men were killed.  The Constable believes he deserves a second chance, so we can't really argue about that."  


"There's something else," Alexander decided, seeing that John held back more information than he was willing.  "You don't really need to tell me; I was just curious."  


John gave him a sideways glance but said nothing, even as he pulled open the secret door again.  Alexander took his friend's silence to say that his assumption was correct.   


The rope ladder came down somewhere other than John's head this time, so they could climb up in silence.  Charles, as expected, was in the chapel, though he was just talking with Samuel (Alexander decided he wouldn't call anyone by their last name; it made it too formal) in the corner.  The bishop wasn't present, although the sun had started to go down.  Evening service would be starting soon.  


As Alexander eased himself out of the trapdoor, he spotted the Magiker symbol again.  It was glowing faintly. He didn't know much about magic, but he was pretty sure symbols only glowed if they were recently used for a spell or something.    


"Hey Samuel?"  


The bishop's son looked up, eyes widening.  Charles turned to face Alexander as well and the young servant wished that John would hurry up and get through the trapdoor already.   


"Uh, why is there a Magiker symbol carved onto the pew?"  


An expression of panic flashed across Samuel's face for a second before he composed himself. "Why do you ask?"  


"Because there is one," John interrupted, pointing to the symbol.  "Right there."  


Alexander could tell from the look of Samuel's face that he knew exactly what John was talking about.  Charles did too, by the uncertain glance he gave to the bishop's son.  


"There is no symbol," Samuel said simply.  "You must be imagining it."  


John snorted. "C'mon, I know a Magiker symbol when I see one.  Stop lying and own up.  Who carved it?"  


"That's not really your business," Samuel said.  "There is no symbol."  


"John." Alexander finally intervened.  


When his friend turned to look at him, Alexander gave him a look.  "There isn't a symbol."  


John's eyes widened and he glanced at the symbol again and back at Alexander.  "Oh."  


Samuel visibly relaxed, and Alexander noticed for the first time that Charles was gone.  If John noticed that, he didn't show it.  


"Is there a reason why you came here?" Samuel asked coldly.  


"Uh," John looked to Alexander for support.  


"When does your dad come back?" the young servant asked.  


Samuel's eyes showed a flicker of panic before composing himself once more.  "He's not here."  


"Does your father ever come to the chapel?" Alexander asked.  He had strong suspicion that the bishop didn't come in here, not even during morning services or anything else.  


"I--"  Samuel hesitated, but Alexander could see that this was one lie he wasn't willing to keep up with.  "No.  He doesn't."  


John stiffened besides Alexander and the young servant knew that his friend wasn't too keen on liars.  "Hold on," he murmured, and John relaxed slightly.  


"Why doesn't he?" Alexander asked.  "Is he in the village?"  


Samuel nodded mutely.  


"What does he do there?"  


Samuel shrugged, evidently intent on not speaking.  


"So he basically only comes here -- what: once a week? -- and then leaves?" John asked, eyes narrowed slightly.  Alexander could tell he didn't trust Samuel in the slightest.  


"Yes.  He doesn't bother with either service, and instead chooses to remain in the village."  


"Wait, so you marry people off?" Alexander asked.  


Samuel blinked.  "Why wouldn't I?  I'm the only one available who can do it."  


"So you run the entire chapel by yourself, and you're what, seventeen?"  John asked.  


"I'm nineteen," the bishop's son replied defensively.  "Old enough, or rather, experienced enough, to run the place on my own."  


"And?"  


"And what?" Samuel asked irritably.  "That's all you need to know."  


"Right." Alexander turned back to the trapdoor. "Thanks."  


"Wait, why are we leaving?" John asked his friend when they were back in the tunnels.  "That was barely anything!  Is that the only reason why you wanted to go to the chapel?  To ask him about his dad?"  


"Yeah, I guess," Alexander said uncertainly.  "There's something else..."  


"That he's a bit stiff?" John asked.  


Alexander snorted.  "Yeah.  What gave that away, O' Smart One?"  


John playfully shoved him as they neared the castle.  "Shut up."  


When they returned, Angelica was waiting for them. "John, Maria told me how strong your magic resistance is.  I think we need to test it further in the workshop before you return to your duties."  


"Oh, okay."  


"You don't have work to do?" Angelica asked, confused.  


"Nah," Alexander broke in.  "The king said for him to show me around.  So I guess we're on break 'til then."  


"Excellent." Angelica led the way through the garden to the Magiker workshop and placed her palm on the front of the door to unlock it.  


"Uh, how does that work?" Alexander asked.  


"How does what work?" Angelica responded.  


"The magic door thingie."  


"Oh." Angelica looked at the door.  "We have some kind of connection to it because it was made from the wood of the forest of our ancestors.  Therefore, if one of our safety is compromised, we would know if the door doesn't initially open."  


"Wouldn't that be a problem if we need to get inside?" John asked.  


Angelica shrugged.  "Perhaps, but it is a good warning device."  


They went inside, and Alexander immediately noticed that the table had been cleared of the mess it had earlier.  Instead, five mugs of the same liquid Maria had given John had been placed on the table.  


"Oh man, am I gonna drink all that again?" John asked with a groan.  


"Who knows?" Angelica's eyes showed her amusement. "Maybe you'll drink less because you already have some running through your body from Maria."  


John sighed but drank a mug anyway.  He managed to get through three before descending into a coughing fit.  


Angelica nodded slowly, looking pensive.  "It seems she was right.  You do have a strong ability to resist magic.  She told you of what use it is to us?"  


John nodded. "Something about resisting physical magic?"  


Angelica rolled her eyes.  "To condense it, yes.  I assume you want to return doing whatever you are doing now?"  


"Yeah." John wiped his mouth; evidently, the taste hadn't left yet and he was still getting used to it. "C'mon, let's go."  He moved to push open the door, but it glowed suddenly and he drew his arm back.  "Shit, what was that?"  


Angelica looked frantic.  "A Magiker is in danger!  We need to leave now!"


	7. of restarts and causations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woops the plot thickens

"Oh God, what do we do?"

"We need to leave the garden.  Immediately!" Angelica ordered.

They pushed the door open, despite its warning flashes and plunged down the path leading back towards the castle.

"Where's James and Aaron?" Alexander panted as they raced along.

Angelica shook her head, curls flying everywhere.  "They're down in the valley.  Tending to some emergency MDO shit.  Maybe that's where we need to go."

She stopped the other two before they entered the castle.  "We need to actually look dignified and not let anyone know what's going on if they don't understand," she explained before carefully pushing the back door of the castle open.

Angelica led the way through the castle, heels clicking on the stone floor. When they reached the main entrance doors, the guards blocked the way.

"Sorry ma'am, but no servants are allowed outside at this moment.  There is a 'situation' going on outside."

Angelica huffed, but John made a small mue and said, "Where's this situation happening?"

The guard, John remembered his name as Nathaniel Greene, shrugged.  "No idea.  Somewhere near the chapel? The MDO or something are there too I guess."

"Oh God."

Angelica turned to them, eyes wide.  "What? Do you know of this? Did something happen after you left Maria's house?"

John shrugged.  "Maybe that we pointed out this Magiker symbol carved on the back of a pew?"

Angelica stared at him and then whirled, pushing the doors open and disappearing through them.  They slammed shut with a loud bang.

"What was that about?" Alexander asked.

"No idea," John replied.  "But I have a feeling with what's going on.  C'mon."

He dragged Alexander down the hallway to the dining hall and pulled open the secret hole once more.  "This is the only way we can find out what's going on."

"But what if we get caught?" Alexander asked.

John just smirked.  "Well, I'm going." and he launched himself into the tunnels.

Alexander just sighed and jumped after him.  At this rate, they were going to get themselves killed.

The chapel was destroyed; all the pews were in shambles and piled in a large heap at the altar, which was also trashed beyond repair.  The stained glass windows were all shattered; shards of glass were strewn across the floor.

John stared at the destruction in horror.  "Did  _we_  cause this?"

"I don't know," was all Alexander could say.  

"They've completely trashed this place." John kicked the pile of wood angrily.  "Fuck them and their need for destruction."

Alexander just shook his head, unwilling to look at the destruction of the pretty much only place you could find sanctuary.  Then another thought struck him as he spotted the Magiker symbol, glowing faintly, on one of the pieces of wood.

"Where's Seabury?" Alexander asked.

John froze. "Oh man. They're probably outside with everyone else."

And indeed it did seem the entire village had gathered outside the chapel walls -- Alexander could hear screams, catcalling, and other random noises that only indicated the size of the crowd.

"We need to check it out."

Alexander and John came out of the chapel to find the ground outside the chapel in complete chaos.  They managed to force their way outside to the center of attention, which they were surprised to find Seabury and his father standing in the middle of a small space cleared out by the MDO, who had taken up posts around them.  The leader, distinguishable by the silver bands criss-crossing his arms were standing in front of the two, with a MDO member holding their hands behind their backs.

Alexander pushed his way through the crowds, close enough to hear the MDO leader speaking.  His voice was clipped and harsh.

"Reverend Bishop Seabury, you and your son are under arrest by the MDO for vandalisation of religious property.  The charges against you, Reverend, will be a trial, and death sentence, should you be found guilty--"

"They always are," John muttered under his breath, sounding disgusted.  It took Alexander a moment to realize that while this entire scene wasn't common, the MDO interventions were.  That didn't really help his view on the organization either, considering it was called the 'Magiker Death Organization' to begin with.

"--your son will be cleared of charges if you choose to bypass the trial and directly face the consequences."

There was no hesitation in the bishop's voice, as he said clearly and firmly, "I will bypass the trial, good sir.  There is no reason my son should be blamed for this."

"What?" Samuel tried to take a step forward but was pulled back violently by his holder.  "You can't do that, Father!"

The bishop turned to his son, smiling gently.  "I neglected you, son.  I realize that now, and I apologize.  I can only make it up by giving my life for yours.  It's what the Lord would want for me to repent my sins."

Samuel looked close to tears, and Alexander felt a pang of sympathy. "You can't," he repeated softly, though no one but Alexander and John heard him.

The leader of the MDO glanced from father to son, and a sadistic smile crept across his face.

John shifted besides Alexander, his agitation contagious.  "Oh no, please don't," he muttered, and Alexander was about to ask why he said that until the MDO leader opened his mouth.

"Kill him.  Right here, right now."

The MDO member -- and by their glazed stare, they were identified as a Magiker -- closest to the bishop looked a bit taken aback.  "Sir, I'm not sure if we should-"

"Don't question my orders, just do it!" the leader shrieked.

The MDO Magiker's eyes cleared, for just a moment, enough to say one word: "No."

"Then I'll do it myself," the leader spat, before drawing his sword and swinging it downward in a crushing blow.

Both Alexander and John turned away, before their attention was caught, once more, by Samuel.

"No!"

The bishop's son wrenched his arms free, flinging them forward.  There was a flash and loud crack of what looked and sounded like lightning, and then the MDO leader's sword shattered and fell to the ground.

Complete silence followed.


	8. of explosions and exposations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Samuel is e x p o s e d

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you see that coming?

"He's a Magiker?" The words floated around the crowd, first in whispers, and then louder.  

"He's a goddamn Magiker!" the leader shouted.  

And the crowd descended into chaos once more.

Samuel looked horrified at what he had done, his eyes still sparking slightly from the magic backlash.  The MDO converged on him, and with Samuel's face a mask of panic, Alexander wasn't surprised when he jerked his arms parallel to the ground and knocked everyone within a two foot radius off their feet with another blast of lightning (at least, Alexander assumed it was lightning).

"Stop!" The MDO leader's voice cut through the noise like a knife, and everyone immediately quieted.

The wave of people parted for Samuel to see his father on his knees, the MDO leader standing behind him, a dagger raised, ready to strike.

"Stop or he dies."

Samuel's eyes widened, and Alexander didn't know if he would attack again, or surrender.  He actually hoped that the bishop's son would attack, because the MDO needed to pay for all the torment they caused over the years, but Samuel lowered his hands.

"I was the one who carved that symbol onto the pew," he said, his voice quiet, but carrying through the silence.  "I was the one who broke the rules, not my father.  Let him go, and you can have me. I'll come quietly."

"But why did you carve the Magiker symbol in a place of worship?" The MDO leader looked a bit hungry for Samuel's answer, a dangerous gleam in his eyes.

"For a friend," Samuel said vaguely, looking uncomfortable.  "It doesn't matter.  You have me, let my father go."

The bishop was crying, tears soaking the front of his robes as he looked at his son.  Alexander didn't know love that well, but he understood the connection between father and son.  And it hurt, because he knew what was going to happen.

"We need to stop this," he hissed to John, who was stuck staring at the scene unfolding in front of them.

"We can't go out there now!" John muttered back.  "We'll get killed!"

"Just as a distraction!" Alexander pleaded.  "We can't let this happen!"

John looked pained.  '"I know, but we can't do anything about it, Alex.  I wish we could, but it wouldn't help our cause."

Alexander fell silent, knowing his friend was right, but hating him all the same.

"Your offer is nothing," the leader said, lips curled into a sneer.  "We don't need you, preaching about the Lord and all that shit."

And he plunged the dagger straight into the bishop's chest.

The crowd erupted into screams; some broke and ran, but most of them stayed, keeping a rather excellent cover for John and Alexander.

Samuel seemed to be in shock, even as he rushed forward.  The MDO left him a clear path, as they weren't too sure of his power level, and he took that to an advantage to get to his father.

Alexander's view was blocked by the panicking crowd, so he pulled John through the mass of screaming people to get to Samuel, who was cradling his father's body in his arms, eyes intermittently sparking and full of tears.

Alexander made a beeline for the newly discovered Magiker, but the MDO leader got there first.

"You're coming with me."

He jabbed some sort of herb into Samuel's face, and the Magiker slumped forward, unconscious.  Another wave of people swept across Alexander's vision, and by the time he made it to the spot where Samuel and the bishop's body had been moments before, the space was empty. 

He heard rapid footsteps behind him, and John appeared by his side, looking frantic. 

"Shit, he's gone." John whirled to scan the frenzied crowd.  "Did you see where they took him?"

"No," Alexander answered, even as he struggled to see around the people running from the scene. "The MDO got him."

John swore loudly.  "Fuck, they'll corrupt him like the others, and he's a powerful one, so we'll be at a disadvantage."

"Couldn't we ask Angelica or someone to help find him?"

"No.  They've got Magikers on their side, remember? Those brainwashed folks?" John turned once more in a full circle before swearing again and moving through the crowd in the direction of the castle.

"But there was that one Magiker who hesitated!" 

"Because that was Maria!" John exclaimed.  "She's got a strong resolve, it's part of her powers, and she stays there undercover."

"Maria's a Magiker?"  Alexander never thought that Maria would be one to spy on the MDO; she always seemed if she were to have kids, she would be the stay-at-home mom who loved to cook for her family.  Never once did she act like she had magic blood.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I forgot to," John said sheepishly.  "Sorry about that, but you didn't pick up on it when she said she wanted kids, even though she had none?"

"Is it because of the legal matters?" Alexander asked, helping John to push open the large double doors to the castle.

"Yeah," John tilted his head towards the crowd they had left behind.  "How are they gonna explain if the kids have powers, but the parents don't? The unregistered part only makes things worse."

Lafayette suddenly appeared, looking disheveled.  "John, Alex, what happened? Why is there screaming?"

"Seabury was outed as a Magiker," John quickly gave his friend the rundown, "and the MDO took him and killed the bishop."

"Merde," Lafayette grumbled.  "Now we've got more work to do.  Livinae just declared war on us, and Rewile will be sure to follow.  Fifteen newly discovered Magikers were taken by the MDO recently, so they'll most likely be subject to brainwashing in three hours.  Maria informed us that she'll take part in that, so she'll try to slow the operation down, but we need to get there quickly."

"Woah, woah, woah," John interrupted Lafayette's spew of words.  "We're going into MDO territory?  That's way too dangerous; we're not Magikers!"

"It's a good thing we're not, then, because the borders keep out any not-brainwashed Magikers, and those without a strong mind, at that," Lafayette answered, his expression serious.  "Honestly, John, we don't exactly stand a chance for the combined forces of Livinae and Rewile, so the most we can do is at least free  _some_ Magikers to fight."

"No, I agree with you, but how exactly are we going to get all the way to MDO headquarters without being detected?"  John asked.  "How many of us are going?"

"Us as the Rev Set and a few soldiers.  Constable Washington allowed them to join us as backup because there will be Livinathian soldiers in the area."

"And, lemme guess, one of them is Charles Lee?"

"Please try to put your opinions aside for the sake of the mission," Alexander butted it. "John, I like you, but sometimes you get to be too much."

"Yeah, I know." John deflated slightly.  "Sorry."

"Look, as long as we can get in and out without any casualties, we're good," Lafayette summarized.  "Provided we actually can free those fifteen, plus Seabury, because their powers will do the work for us to escape."

"Well then," Alexander turned to start walking towards the tailor's room.  "We'd best get started."


	9. of blindness and magic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone retreat!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just realized I didn't have the other members of the Rev Set in here lmao.

Charles led the small group through the forests surrounding the MDO base and quickly motioned for them to get behind cover.

“The Constable’s instructions were to attack any army passing by,” John reminded him, looking a bit jittery.  It was taking all his self restraint to not snap at Charles, as Washington’s orders were also to not provoke anyone into a fight.

“I know.  He also said not to fight them subtly,” Charles replied, eyes darting over the foliage in front of them.

John rolled his eyes. “I know.  It’s just–”

“I can hear them!” Alexander hissed, silencing his friend.  "They’ve got catapults with them too!“

Charles stood.  "Let’s go!”

The soldiers rose as one and charged.  A payload of steaming metal came flying out of nowhere and plunged in front of them, bringing the charge to a halt.  Charles looked from the chunk of metal to the direction it came from and gave an order: “Retreat!”

Everyone automatically dove in the opposite direction.  John looked outraged that they retreated without a second thought but was forced to follow when Alexander tugged him backwards.

—

“What the fuck was that?” 

Charles turned to see a livid John Laurens in his face.

“Calm down, Laurens,” Charles answered, but Laurens wasn’t listening to him. 

“You fucking retreated before even engaging with them! And you tell me to calm down?”

Alexander looked a bit worried at seeing the feud  from many years ago spike up so suddenly. “How about we all just take a deep breath and chill?” he suggested, while gently tugging Laurens back. 

Laurens ripped himself away from his friend, shaking his head. “No. Lee, why the fuck did you retreat? We could take them!”

“They had more than twenty thousand men on their side. I’m not risking any of our men’s  lives in a pointless battle,” Charles replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. 

“How the hell do you know?” Laurens shouted, jabbing a finger into Charles’ chest.   “We didn’t even actually see the other army, they just launched an catapult payload at us and you ordered our retreat! Excuse me for asking, but do your blind eyes somehow see those men right at this moment?”

Charles actually turned to stare in the direction of the Livinathian army. “Yes.”

Alexander wasn’t too caught up in the argument, but he heard the word, ‘blind’ loud and clear. And as he looked closer at Charles’ eyes, he saw that they were pure white. Not moving. 

Oh God.

“Wait, Charles, how do you see them if you’re blind?”

Charles stiffened, and turned towards Alexander, his eyes twitching slightly, bringing an iris and pupil quickly into focus, but the question was already out. And everyone wanted to hear his answer. 

He took a deep breath before talking, his men hanging onto his words, Alexander included. Laurens seemed the only one uninterested but the way he glanced at Charles told Alexander he already knew this story. 

“I’m dead,” Charles said calmly, as if being deceased was nothing to be worried about. “And I have been ever since the Fear Fire started. Killed in an accident trial, whatever the hell that means. The MDO didn’t care who they rounded up, they just needed people to torture. Our house burned down. Only I made it out of the four of us, but the exit led straight into the mass of MDO followers. I wasn’t a Magiker, as I had tried to tell them, but they decapitated me anyway.”

The silence was deafening, even to Alexander. He risked a glance at Laurens and then at everyone else. With the exception of Laurens, shock was written across each of their faces. 

Charles let out a heavy sigh, recognizing he should just get this over with. “The Magikers here, Angelica, James, and Aaron, they were the ones who resurrected me. But something went wrong with the summoning and I became like this.” He indicated his body, which was just starting to flicker. “A ghost, a shell of what I used to be. I should’ve stayed dead instead, because when I regained consciousness, I found I had  the powers of a Magiker, but worse. Death by decapitation meant I was rendered speechless, deaf, and blind, but the magic that the three Magikers had enabled me to live with now acted as more powerful senses.” He turned to Laurens. “The reason I called for a retreat is because I could sense the opposing army from here. Humans give off a distinct signature that makes them easy to identify, Magikers are harder. They had about twenty two thousand men and who knows how many Magikers.”

Laurens just shook his head in disgust. “I knew you were blind, but this, this is just-“

He didn’t finish the sentence. Everyone knew what he was about to say. 

Charles studied him for a moment before nodding. “I understand.” There was a note of regret and bitterness in his voice as he turned away. His men seemed uncertain of what they should do, now that their officer had outed himself as an illegal Magiker resurrection. 

Alexander stepped forward. “John, can I talk to you in private?”

Laurens turned to him in surprise. “Alex, what-“

“In private. Now.”

“I don’t understand,” Laurens frowned as Alexander led them a considerable distance away from the small group of soldiers. “What are you doing?”

Alexander stopped walking and turned to face his friend. “We need to accept everyone, John. Everyone. Don’t you want to help Magikers gain freedom?”

“Yeah, I mean that’s the entire reason we’re fighting in this war!”

“Exactly. So that means we can’t discriminate against anyone else either. We already conformed to a belief that everyone is equal, so we need to stick to it.”

Laurens stared at him. “Even illegal Magiker experiments?”

Alexander nodded, his expression serious. “Even them.”

Laurens huffed. “Fine. But only because I trust you.”

“Your feud should have no fuel here,” Alexander reminded him. “We’re on the same team, remember?”

“Doesn’t stop me from thinking he’s a douchebag,” Laurens spat.

Alexander shook his head. “Was that only because he was blind?”

Laurens hesitated. “Yeah,” he finally said, his voice quiet. 

“Well, now you can change that.” Alexander said enthusiastically. “We’re the Revolutionary Set! Change the way we all think and that stuff. You can start by apologizing, and everything could work from there.”

Laurens blinked, looking surprised, before a smile slowly spread across his face. “Did anyone tell you they like the way you think?”

Alexander laughed. “Many times, John. Many times.”


End file.
